Follow-Up: Kickstart Yours in 3 Steps

Frustrated? Tired of not getting what you’ve wanted or hoped for? Welcome to a crowded space. If you’re like many of us, some goals or desires just seem to elude you. And, if like many, a surprising amount of what you’re bummed about not getting is due to a pretty simple concept – a lack of actual followup.

Magical Thinking

I’ve seen it time and again. People discouraged that they haven’t moved up to the corner office, achieved that weight loss or improved relations with their team. People who, when we get into it, discover that they really haven’t taken much in the way of actual steps towards what they’ve wanted. That’s not to say that they haven’t spent considerable time and energy worrying or thinking about it. Do you know what I’m taking about? Thought so.

I think we all have those things whereupon closer scrutiny it’s revealed that we must have engaged in some sort of magical thinking because action was not part of the equation. It’s fairly common.

Frustration Release – 3 Steps

1. Sit down and take a hard look at your yet to be attained goals. Identify those where you don’t seem to be making progress.

2. Be honest about the real effort that you’ve put into each one. Did you put in a sustained and focused effort?

3. Be honest about the actual steps you’ve taken. Did you learn from past mistakes? Did you make adjustments where necessary?

Ninety per cent of this game is the realization that you actually haven’t followed up with any concrete steps. The other ten percent is taking the steps. Identifying that you, in fact, haven’t taken any effective steps towards your long held goal has the power to give you an immediate and lifting sense of renewed hope. To sit and stew or worry about why it is that you haven’t moved forward without first taking a critical eye to the actual concrete steps you’ve taken, is debilitating and unfair to yourself.

Author: Doug Brockway

Doug never colored within the lines as a child and believes in the healing power of dark chocolate. Despite being allergic to neck ties, he’s passionate about business. A Certified Executive Coach with global experience, he teaches leading edge approaches that help organizations create cultures that drive engagement, productivity and innovation, giving leaders and teams the skills and experience to contribute to the business in high impact ways.